Kamal Ghorui
Chennai: With Chennai’s water demand surging amid rapid urban expansion, water resources department (WRD) is set to roll out a 5,000-crore world bank–funded water security project, aimed at future-proofing the city’s drinking water supply. The project is currently at a preliminary stage, with authorities identifying components to be taken up under the water security project in coordination with civic bodies.“Earlier, Chennai city partnership project listed water security plans to bridge the city’s water demand until 2030 or 2037. From these, a few priority projects will be taken up in coming days. The water security project will cover around 5,900sqkm across core and extended areas of Chennai metropolitan area,” said WRD chief engineer C Podhupani Thilagam.
The project will be implemented in three components, with the first focusing on water security measures such as constructing barrages across rivers such as Kosasthalaiyar and Palar, and enhancing capacity of tanks including those at Sriperumbudur, Thiruninravur, and Thillaipakkam. The department is also planning to increase storage capacity of Poondi reservoir by 700mcft.Experts will conduct studies on efficiency of the proposed projects, their performance in other states, and how water is secured and distributed based on population needs. “As part of the second component, we will set up SCADA systems and real-time flood forecasting mechanisms,” an official said.In the third component,WRD will hold meetings with civic bodies such as GCC, Tambaram Corporation and Avadi Corporation, to ensure existing infrastructure is made fully-functional.
